


Unkissed

by Baroness_Blixen



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Christmas Time, F/M, Mistletoe, fbi christmas party, mulder and skinner are drunk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-09-19 15:18:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17004126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baroness_Blixen/pseuds/Baroness_Blixen
Summary: The annual Christmas party and Skinner admits something to Mulder.





	Unkissed

“I didn’t think you’d actually be here.” Skinner wobbles, a strange grin on his face. When he slings his arm over Mulder’s shoulder, he understands.

Skinner is drunk.

“You said the x-mas party was mandatory.” The word feels like a marble in his mouth; maybe he is drunk, too.

“That’s never stopped you before,” Skinner says and snickers. He actually snickers. Mulder doesn’t think he’s ever heard a sound like that before. Definitely not out of Skinner’s mouth. He giggles himself, sounding like a five year old. That last punch was one too many.

“Where’s your better half?” Skinner is now hugging him, clinging to him as though he wants to apply for that particular job. But Mulder knows he’s talking about Scully. He hasn’t seen her in a while, hence all the glasses of punch.

“Having fun,” Mulder grumbles. Without him.

“What did you do to piss her off?” Skinner’s breath smells sweet, like the fruits in the punch. He is too close, the goo dripping Christmas music too loud. Mulder misses Scully. He missed her the moment she walked away from him, her heels clacking, her hips swaying. All because… because…

“I didn’t want to dance.” Saying it out loud now, his cloudy mind slow, he realizes what an idiot he is.

“You’re an idiot, Mulder.” Skinner agrees with him. “Every guy in this room, hell, half of the women too, would give their left and right arm to dance with her. And you- you…” Skinner aims his fist at him and Mulder is too sluggish to move away. Part of him is certain that whatever Skinner is planning, he deserves it. But the fist doesn’t come. Not in the way he expects. It lands against his chest and just stops. It’s more of a caress than a blow.

“You don’t deserve her, Mulder. You’re and idiot and she- you don’t deserve her.”

“And you do?” He slaps Skinner’s hand away from his chest. The floor is moving, or maybe he and Skinner are, but he has to reach out and steady himself with a hand on the other man’s shoulder.

“No, but…,” Skinner trails off, staring into the distance. Mulder searches the crowd and he sees what his boss sees: Scully. She’s smiling at someone, happy and carefree. Mulder feels sick.

“Once, you know.”

“I don’t know anything.”

“I had a crush on her once,” Skinner goes on and Mulder would glare at him if he could tear himself away from Scully. She’s breathtakingly beautiful. He finds he’s not even surprised, has suspected it for a while. So Skinner had a crush on Scully. Who hasn’t? “I realized quickly I had no chance. No one does. No one except you, Mulder.”

“Are you still…” He can’t even finish his sentence.

“No, not anymore. But know this, Mulder. If you hurt her, if you ever- I like her. You better treat her right. I don’t understand what she sees in you or why she wants you, but she does. So go over there and dance with her.”

“I’m drunk,” Mulder says, feeling miserable.

“You’re tipsy. So is she. Look at her.” He hasn’t done anything but look at her for the last five minutes. “Go. You have my blessing.”

“You’re not her father, I don’t need your blessing.”

“Mulder, shut the fuck up and go dance with Agent Scully.” His feet start moving on their own accord. His eyes are fixated on her and as he comes closer, as if she could sense him, her head turns to him. The smile on her face fades.

“Hi,” he says and wonders if he smells as bad as Skinner did.

“Hey. Excuse me, Sheila.” Scully takes him by the elbow and leads him away. She either wants him alone or she’s embarrassed by him. “You’re drunk.” So it’s the latter.

“Skinner says I’m tipsy.”

“Skinner is drunk himself. I saw you two over there, whatever you were doing.”

“Talking,” Mulder says, his tongue feeling loose. “About you. Did you know he had a crush on you?”

“Mulder.”

“I’m serious. He admitted it.” He nods to drive his point home. Scully shakes her head and walks a few steps. He follows her. He wants to dance now; he doesn’t want her to leave him alone again.

“I don’t want to talk about that now. I don’t want to talk at all. I want to have fun tonight.”

“You want to dance.”

“You’re drunk.” But now her voice is soft and he detects amusement. He grins at her.

“Tipsy,” he reminds her, touching the tip of her nose. “Skinner said he’d hurt me if I fucked this up. So would you please dance with me?” To give his question a dramatic touch, he lifts his hands up over his head and that’s when he sees it.

“Scully?”

“Yes, Mulder, I’ll dance with you.”

“That’s not… look up.” He watches as she looks up, her cheeks pink as soon as she sees mistletoe hanging over their heads.

“Oh.”

“It’s tradition.” He hopes he doesn’t look like a drunk, happy fool. He feels like that. He half expects her to leave him standing there, unkissed, but she gets closer, gets on tiptoe and his eyes flutter shut. Her warm lips find him, touch his cheek right at the corner of his mouth. It’s soft, it’s lingering and it’s perfect. His eyes are still closed when she moves away.

“Wow.” He knows he’s grinning from ear to ear.

“I’d like to do this again and do it properly when you’re not drunk. But now I think you promised me a dance.” He lets her lead.


End file.
